Aura
by Sokai
Summary: A disturbed, treacherous prince finds solace within the vile ruminations over all of the future despair and ruin one certain princess is soon to experience at his own hand. . . .


**Aura**

**By: Sokai**

**Disclaimer: **I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. -- I leave _that_ honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. Nor do I own .Hack//Sign's "Aura" song. However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM said series.

Note:_ Lately been "turned off" by W.I.T.C.H. And my stories involving said series. Not that I'm saying I've washed my hands of the series or the stories I've created based upon it (so, to all you loyal "The Royal Guardian" readers especially, no worries -- it's the next story to be updated). Besides having been "bitten" by other inspirations (especially consisting of drawing new pieces), the atmosphere has sort of changed within this category. Ah, well._

_Anyway, this oneshot had come to me while I was listening to my OST for .Hack//Sign that I hadn't for ages, and the "Aura" song reminded me of my Sitara character, initially. Then it reminded me of Tomoe Hotaru from "Bishoujo Senshi: Sailormoon." THEN, lastly, it reminded me of Elyon, when she was under Phobos's false security, etc. So this just sort of came out as a result of those thoughts. (It's more so based upon the animated series version, this, than the comic, so please don't be confused and don't point differences out to me. OR that it's a shame I hadn't brought in the Guardian gals more or what have you. This isn't about them.)_

_Enjoy (or don't, whichever), and perhaps with the actual track (well, the "Evil Version," anyhow, that I feel fits this story's mood better than the original) to help further set the tone? (Get rid of the excessive spacing, of course.) _

_h t t p / s o k a i . i m e e m . c o m / m u s i c / l i X G 2 X N f / a u r a e v i l v e r s i o n /_

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This story was created/written in July 2007.

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The sole prince of Meridian, Prince Phobos, felt increasingly bored with himself (as well as with his specific company) as he continued to remain erect before his only sibling, his younger sister, Princess Elyon. For over an hour had the vile monarch been forced to remain within the long since abandoned and depleted garden of the royal palace, for the intended purposes to portray the consistent role of "Adoring Older Brother" to the perpetually vibrant maiden. And as one generally surrounded by and extensively comfortable with nothing but oppressed and kowtowing folk, Phobos was fast approaching the pinnacle of the steadfast nausea percolating within his bowels.

Nonetheless, the handsome Meridian native smiled contently to himself with satisfied relish as he idly gazed upon the platinum blonde haired female giggling gaily within the curiously lavish, illuminated verdurous locality.

_But this is all right, I suppose_, he thought with a growing smirk, which helped to slightly lull his physical ailment. _If I must remain at my __excruciatingly__ nettlesome sister's side for a spell, while she frolics within a garden that is merely beautiful by __my__ own will, then so be it. So long as she continues to believe that I am on her side and actually . . . __love__ her, then all the better for me and for my plans for achieving complete and utter domination._

It was true. Ever since his most loyal and faithful servant, Lord Cedric, had at long last successfully managed to locate and retrieve the rightful heir to the Meridian throne (a fact that greatly embittered the young prince and motivated him to rectify to his design to no end), Phobos had made sure to project absolutely everything within the palace walls and its near surroundings within a positive light -- That is, with the help of his waning yet still ever present magical abilities.

It was absolutely imperative to the Dark Prince's plans that the Princess Elyon continue to be soothed into a false sense of security and perception if he would be successful in inevitably siphoning her powers and to seize them as his own upon the day of her official coronation -- a day that was rapidly approaching, to his delight and fleeting patience.

_If you are near to the dark_

_I will tell you 'bout the sun_

_You are here, no escape_

_from my visions of the world_

_Until then, I shall simply have to make do with the knowledge that my poor, sweet and __pathetic__ sister is continuously none-the-wiser that everything she has interacted with and beheld thus far is mere illusion_, mused Prince Phobos, watching the green robed, fair skinned beauty affectionately caress an equally beautiful, multicolored bird perched upon a nearby flourishing tree (that both, in reality and unbeknownst to the novice princess, were a dried up, withered woody plant and an unearthly, vicious winged creature).

"Oh, _Phobos! _I know I say this like, _all _of the time since I've first arrived here in Meridian with Cedric, but I am just _so_ happy to be here with you! My _brother!_ My very own, real life older _brother!_" Phobos suddenly heard Elyon gush with grand exuberance as she'd managed to simultaneously tear her attention away from the incognito beast before her, in addition to her prince's calculative inner reflections.

Stifling the instant grimace that desperately yearned to be set free and expose itself upon his pale countenance, Phobos then instead forced a small, tightened simper in its place as he regarded the younger female before him.

"And I feel _precisely_ the same as you, dear Elyon. Why, everyday I must honestly ask myself if all of this is not a mere . . . _fantasy_, as it were," he replied tactfully and with mendacious favor of his own (as he usually would whenever the naïve gentlewoman was regrettably within his presence).

_Of course, by the time that you'll catch on that this really __is__ nothing but fantasy, __you'll__ be nothing but a hapless, hollowed out mass_, the menacing prince reflected silently as an afterthought. _But what you don't know won't kill you, as they say -- that is, not __entirely_

Princess Elyon giggled for what felt like the umpteenth time that day just then, before swiftly closing the distance between the two royal siblings and promptly encased her skinny arms around her brother's strong, black-robed waist.

"I just feel so _lucky_ to have you here with me, Phobos . . . _especially_ since our true mother and father are gone . . . I don't think that I'd be able to properly adjust to this new life of mine _and_ simultaneously prepare to become Meridian's new queen, while worrying that the _Guardians_ will once again try to harm our fair kingdom . . ." she stated, her once light and carefree voice trailing off into a small, despondent whisper before diving into her _own_ set of thoughts that Phobos was profoundly confident consisted of all of the untrue tales both he and Lord Cedric would steadily yearn about Elyon's _true _allies and saviors, the pesky Guardians of the Veil. Of how it was their eternal wish to sabotage the new world that the kindhearted girl had only just recently regarded as "home."

But how absolutely droll and painstakingly easy it had been to paint the five mystical nuisances a rather unflattering color within the eyes of the very soul it was their mission to rescue and protect!

_Even her so-called . . . "__best friend__," that __insipid__ blonde Earth Guardian, is now perceived to be a general threat to her well constitution, thanks to my __ingenious__ powers of persuasion_, thought Phobos to himself in silence, body remaining tense while he willed himself to stroke the soft head of his sister (whose face was now nuzzled within his chest in comfort). _And in the end, as a __gloriously__ delicious treat, every last one of them shall be __crushed__, while darling Elyon will have no one to blame for it but herself, before succumbing to her __own__ demise . . ._

_You will cry all alone_

_but it does not mean a thing to me_

Without realizing it and unable to stop himself, Prince Phobos had then begun to laugh a bit boisterously as a result of his soothingly vile ruminations, causing both he and Elyon to gasp sharply in affect thereafter.

". . . P-Phobos? A . . . are you all right?" asked Elyon in concern, looking up at the young man with the sea of flax tinted hair before slowly pulling away from him. Phobos frowned lightly as his cheeks grew lightly flushed in unexpected abashment a moment, before immediately recovering and mustering up another gentle smile.

_Knowing the song I will sing_

_'till the darkness comes to sleep_

". . . Why, yes, of _course!_ I am merely . . . unable to contain my _joy_ that you are _here_ and soon will be queen -- our _glorious_ light . . ." he expressed as calmly as he could, while his insides churned with growing ire and resentment.

_Come to me, I will tell_

_'bout the secret of the sun_

Princess Elyon grinned generously at this.

"_Really?_ Do you really mean that? Do you really _believe_ that?" she asked breathlessly, soft blue eyes alight with adoration, hope, and respect. "'Cause, I mean, I know that you and Cedric both told me that I'm the rightful heir to the throne, and the only one capable to do it since I'm . . . what was it again? Oh, _right!_ 'The Light of Meridian . . .' But I _still_ can't help but to feel overwhelmed and _especially_ guilty about that."

At this, Phobos felt his temper beginning to wan as he instead became intrigued by his irritating sibling's ramblings. _This_ was certainly a first for him. That is, for all of the agonizing occasions the two relatives have shared together within the excess days and nights that she'd arrived to Meridian, never had Elyon openly admitted (at least, not aloud and to _his_ face) to feeling that the role of proper ruler should reside within her older brother.

It was nice to see that the unfair shutout of any and all royal males within the family (in regards to ever ascending the throne to become kings, at least) was seemingly acknowledged by not only Phobos, himself.

_It's in you, not in me_

_but it does not mean a thing to you_

"Now, now, Elyon. This is the way it has been for ages upon _ages!_ For every female to rise up and one day be the inevitable queen of this _wondrous_ land!" he said humbly with a thoughtful air within his demeanor as he patted the other monarch's tiny shoulder. "And although I _may_ be older, _far_ wiser and with _profoundly_ more experience than you -- and so _clearly_ am the better one suited for the position -- it _does not_ mean that _you_ will not successfully serve your purpose . . ."

_In bestowing onto me your powers . . ._ he secretly thought with a sated exhale as he finished his impromptu pep talk for his little sister.

Smiling a bit more broadly at her older brother, Elyon nodded lightly with a relieved look upon her peaches and cream complexion.

"Well, I _still_ think that _you'd_ have been the better choice, brother. But hearing that you aren't _upset_ or anything that _I'm_ going to be the one to take the throne and that you still believe in me, then it makes me feel all the _more_ proud to be yours and everyone _else's_ 'Light of Meridian,'" she revealed happily, leaning forward to squeeze Phobos within another embrace and nearly paralyzing him in the process. "_Oh!_ But I'd better get going, now, actually. I just remembered that I promised Miranda that I'd hang out with her in the grand hall. I'll see you later, Phobos! And thanks for spending time with me this morning!"

"It was my_ pleasure! _After all, what are 'big brothers' _for?_" Phobos called out as gaily as he could manage to his then fleeting sister (who'd thankfully released him from her vice-like grip) briefly waving at him before exiting the garden.

Exhaling with extreme relief to at last be free of his female sibling and all of the civil pretenses, Phobos, with a deep scowl set upon his pale visage, gruffly waved a strong hand into the air, causing his incantation to last dissipate and the atmosphere's originally shadowed and dreary appearance to return.

"_Argh!_ Would that I could simply _squash_ you like the minuscule, _insignificant_ worm that you _truly_ are, little sister!" he hissed in anger, glaring daggers towards the closed door that the young woman in question had disappeared behind. "_Then_ I would not have to put up with such antics as your _endless_ desire to remain at my _side!_"

Exhaling tiredly and slowly calming down a bit, Prince Phobos thoughtfully began to pace about the darkened area, its gloomy nature incredulously relaxing him far greater than its previous, joyous state had or ever could.

"Why _must_ it be so that such an undeserving little _twit_ should be appointed such magnificent power? Oh, if I could somehow travel back in time to change our family's _asinine_ history!"

_The sun is in your eyes_

_The sun is in your ears_

_I hope you see the sun_

_someday in the darkness_

"You know? I daresay that I actually feel a tad . . . _remorseful_ . . . Well, remorseful that flyspeck Elyon could not have been a bit more _nimble_ to realize that she is being _greatly_ duped and steadily swept up within the darkness," said the blonde haired prince to himself in reflection, ceasing within his walk about the desolate garden. "I mean, after _all_, her lack of intelligence is a slight reflection upon our shared lineage. But, no matter! If ever I might have any foul-speakers against _my_ sagacity, or mere _future_ rebellions as the one that is _annoyingly_ carrying on at this present time, I shall simply throw every last perpetrator into the dungeons and be done with it! Ah, alas . . . a future king's work is _never _done . . ."

_The sun is in your eyes_

_The sun is in your ears_

Grinning with supreme delight by the final thought, the maliciously vindictive Prince Phobos carelessly tossed a few strands of his gloriously long locks over his shoulder as he walked towards the exit.

"Poor, poor Elyon . . . '_Brown_,' correct heir to the throne of Meridian and its ultimate _savior!_ Never will you have the opportunity to realize your _true_ potential, _nor_ will you ever wake up from this nightmare that I've placed you within . . . Or is it 'dream come true,' rather, and for the _both_ of us, even? Oh, well! _Either _way, I shall emerge victorious throughout!" he declared with a deliciously strong cackle, that reverberated throughout the halls of the palace and reflected the sheer evil that was within his frigid heart.

_But you can't see the sun_

_ever in the darkness_

_It does not much matter to me_

**-- The End  
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**(A.N. It's crap -- to me. But it was merely something that'd come to me on the fly and my hands had taken over and just wrote and wrote and WROTE until this b.s. had come to fruition. Nonetheless, it was meant to be a purely "emotional" story, and merely reflecting more so upon Phobos's incessant desire and need to be king and possess all of Elyon's power and more. And I'd thought that this great song showcased it rather well -- well, in the "beginning" of it all, their relationship that is. And all the lies, blah blah blah. Interpret this as you will. Either way, it's here.)**


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